Core ODP Skills
Connections and communication
Everyone in ODP strives for customer excellence and this is achieved through connections with others
and exceptional communication skills, showing care, empathy, inclusivity, understanding and acting on
customer needs.
Learning Curriculum for Connections and communication
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AwarenessA
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WorkingW
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PractitionerP
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ExpertE
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AwarenessA
A
- Communicates in a straight-forward, honest manner and keeps people updated.
- Considers the audience and uses varied communication methods as required, showing empathy and inclusivity.
- Builds relationships with a diverse range of stakeholders which enables a good understanding of different perspectives.
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WorkingW
W
- Communicates and builds relationships across teams to deliver excellent service, quality and performance.
- Works with others in collaboration to share information constructively.
- Encourages feedback and creates a secure and safe environment where good communication and relationships can thrive.
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PractitionerP
P
- Builds and maintains networks internally. Adopts a government wide perspective, aligning activity, making links across government and learning from others.
- Embeds a culture of open and transparent communication that stretches widely across government.
- Recognises the complexities and communicates the key messages in a simple, inclusive and accessible way to stakeholders. Promotes honest discussions where there are differences of opinion and is keen to receive feedback.
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ExpertE
E
- Recognised as a confident communicator across wider government who is trusted and to whom others refer to.
- Role models the value of building strong relationships to influence others at the most senior and strategic level.
- Balances the needs of stakeholders and strategic priorities, influences others to deliver improved outcomes for stakeholders.
- Listens with an open mind and actively seeks feedback from a wide range of stakeholders.
- Maintains and actively role models inclusive and safe, open communications at all levels.
Operational leadership and management
Leading people and managing resources whilst overseeing and supporting, large operational teams is a key part of the ODP skill set. Leading effectively involves understanding the whole system, its complexity and interdependencies and how to maximise this understanding to lead the delivery of a quality service with a view on the future and vision.
Learning Curriculum for Operational leadership and management
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AwarenessA
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WorkingW
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PractitionerP
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ExpertE
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AwarenessA
A
- Manages activities to provide high standards of service delivery.
- Continuously strives to improve processes or procedures.
- Determines when to escalate or refer complex or difficult issues to team leaders or supervisors
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WorkingW
W
- Leads teams in an inclusive way motivating them to deliver and achieve high quality outcomes.
- Provides clear direction to team members to deliver successful outcomes in challenging circumstances.
- Plans team workload balancing support and ensuring excellent service delivery to stakeholders ensuring delivery against performance targets or procedures.
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PractitionerP
P
- Communicates a clear sense of purpose, provides a direction that stakeholders understand and engage with.
- Leads large, diverse teams with an appreciation of the interdependencies and with a sense of inclusivity.
- Establishes a culture of confidence in times of ambiguity and complexity which enables delivery of outcomes, often working within legal or regulatory frameworks.
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ExpertE
E
- Leads across multiple areas, balancing competing and common priorities to drive improvements in overall effectiveness across government.
- Leads large and complex organisations making the connections across government and strategies.
- Leads and role models the desired culture, mentors others and maintains a culture of inclusivity and respect.
Adaptability to change
With an openness to innovation and change, ODP works to continually improve and set high standards for service provision to its stakeholders. Is flexible in accepting and evolving to change. Learns and adapts quickly to new skills including innovation and digitalisation of services to support improved outcomes.
Learning Curriculum for Adaptability to change
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AwarenessA
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WorkingW
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PractitionerP
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ExpertE
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AwarenessA
A
- Seeks ways to continuously improve. Identifies skills gaps and makes plans to develop these.
- Looks for solutions to problems and where necessary refers to others with a focus on bringing about change and improvement.
- Listens to and acts on feedback from colleagues to understand development areas for preparedness to change.
- Shares knowledge and skills with others to support learning and readiness for change.
- Takes into consideration ideas to deliver improved outcomes for stakeholders and/or service delivery.
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WorkingW
W
- Puts in place ways to improve service delivery.
- Encourages an open approach to seeking out and acting on feedback to bring about continuous improvement in own and team’s performance.
- Identifies problems and supports others to identify problems and encourages the generation of solutions from teams.
- Recognises learning opportunities for self and team that prepares people for the change in the organisation.
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PractitionerP
P
- Asks questions about established ways of working to instigate new thinking about how to change and adapt accepted ways of working to bring about improvements.
- Encourages a culture where staff are confident that they can suggest ideas and also pilot new ways of working.
- Is open to new digital approaches to change and role models being flexible and accepting of new technology and digital approaches.
- Supports the use of new technology and encourages a culture of learning and adapting to new ways of working and providing services through maximising the benefits of technology and automisation.
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ExpertE
E
- Establishes a culture of flexibility and acceptance to change where new ways of working are openly explored in a safe way.
- Shares best practice and promotes innovation, change and learning from other organisations.
- Leads change across sectors and making connections between areas to bring about improvements.
- Leads and fosters a culture of change and role models an openness to change.
Data and insight
Uses data and insight effectively to monitor operational performance and to inform problem solving, decision making, considering benefits and risks to service delivery.
Learning Curriculum for Data and insight
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AwarenessA
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WorkingW
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PractitionerP
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ExpertE
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AwarenessA
A
- Gathers data to inform work and handles this accurately and securely.
- Processes and records data safely and securely.
- Highlights and identifies gaps in data or in data integrity.
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WorkingW
W
- Analyses a range of relevant information to inform decisions.
- Interprets data to support service delivery and improvements, including dashboards and data sets.
- Highlights trends or risks through data analysis which could impact service delivery or stakeholders.
- Produces management information to report customer and service performance including dashboards.
- Handles data securely and presents data visually clearly and accessibly.
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PractitionerP
P
- Thinks analytically, using trends and insights from data to support decision-making and forecasts.
- Makes decisions in complex environments using accurate and timely data and insights.
- Leads the development, design and commissioning of meaningful management information and dashboards (data outputs) to provide data and insights at pace to support service delivery and operational standards.
- Assures how data is used to drive decision making in a consistent way across the organisation.
- Is confident in weighing up competing data sets to ensure sound decision making across the organisation.
- Takes responsibility for the way data drives decision making and asks the right questions around data sets to focus attention.
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ExpertE
E
- Weighs up and balances the risks of decision making with the available data to be accountable for outcomes.
- Effectively commissions work using data to address organisational wide problems in the present and future to enable improvements.
- Sets an expectation that data will be used comprehensively to drive decision making.
- Strategic oversight of teams to establish, implement or manage data governance and performance frameworks and systems to aid service delivery.
- Sees the bigger picture, takes into consideration how systems are interconnected and can be used to bring about improvements, e.g. reduces duplication and promotes best practice around data use and management.
Delivery and decision making at pace
Manages demand and resource, ensuring attention to detail and stakeholder needs are met. Taking decisions in complex environments in a timely manner balancing the risks of decision making at pace with available data and potential impacts.
Learning Curriculum for Delivery and decision making at pace
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AwarenessA
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WorkingW
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PractitionerP
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ExpertE
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AwarenessA
A
- Makes timely decisions, seeking the views of others where necessary and is confident to make recommendations considering the implications.
- Works at pace, responding flexibly to emerging priorities and manages their own workload effectively.
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WorkingW
W
- Presents strong recommendations in a timely manner.
- Understands complex information and is able to make the right decision at the right time often under pressure.
- Assesses and identifies the risks of timescales for delivery and refers to others appropriately given the risks and likely outcomes.
- Gives clear and explainable reasons for decisions and delivery.
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PractitionerP
P
- Empowers others to make decisions where appropriate, supporting others and by being accountable.
- Facilitates quick decision making.
- Confidently take decisions to positively impact services.
- Manages and is accountable for the risks around delivery and decision making at pace, balancing ‘getting it wrong’, because something was missed or not factored in due to demands for pace.
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ExpertE
E
- Recognises internal and external impacts and takes into consideration the risk and the longer term implications of the likely outcomes, by building in safeguards to maximise impact and improve the outcomes.
- Balances the risks and benefits of delivering and decision making at pace and is accountable for outcomes.
- Provides strategic advice and oversight, to support complex decision making often under pressure and to challenging deadlines.
- Leads and fosters best practice around delivery and decision making at pace, whilst still maximising quality.
- Encourages openness and learning by creating a space for learning from experience and then embedding that learning more widely
Seven core capabilities for SCS roles
Power of connections
Senior operational delivery leaders can demonstrate the critical role they have in influencing Ministers and wider stakeholders.
Please see the SCS Offer for more learning information.
Learning Curriculum for Power of connections
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AwarenessA
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WorkingW
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PractitionerP
-
ExpertE
-
AwarenessA
A
As you move into the SCS, there is an expectation that you already have an awareness of all ODP core skills and therefore the minimum expectation is that you would be at Working Level / Developing Level.
Recognising that you do not require ‘Awareness’ this is foregone and you progress through the 7 capabilities assessing your current expertise from the minimum expectation for SCS ‘Working’ through to ‘Expert’ level.
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WorkingW
W
SCS1:
- Actively builds relationships which will enable them to deliver on their portfolio, communicating across teams and then more widely with peers, stakeholders, suppliers and senior leaders.
- Develops and shares knowledge/expertise through those relationships, creates honest dialogue, seeks to understand different perspectives, works through challenges and builds trust.
SCS2:
- Communicates into teams and across peers in addition to actively looking outwards, building relationships with other government organisations, inter-departmental groups and external organisations to benchmark, share good practice and promote the profession.
- Creates an environment where teams have interactions at the right level and work with internal and external stakeholders to identify system challenges and opportunities, mitigate risks and deliver an efficient and quality customer experience.
SCS3:
- Adopts a strategic lens in identifying and building adequate collaborative relationships with ministers and permanent secretaries. Builds multi-disciplinary teams to enable service delivery, anticipating needs of key stakeholders to reach shared agreements, handling resistance and briefings with confidence, empathy, and resilience.
- A member of the board who develops trust and buy in at pace and scale influencing modernisation of services and challenging as appropriate to secure buy in.
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PractitionerP
P
SCS1:
- Develops peer credibility by working collaboratively with operational delivery professionals, influencing at a senior level within their own organisation.
- Pre-empts the needs of diverse stakeholders and groups, including trade unions and suppliers, proactively engaging, communicating with and drawing on expertise to shape strategy and support deliver.
SCS2:
- Creates the structures and governance across the system, to bring together stakeholders and partners to share their valuable insights and different perspectives and empowers teams to proactively mitigate risks.
- Builds shared perspectives and trust across the organisation, through open communication and transparency, allowing information to flow freely to those in the system who need it.
SCS3:
- As an advocate for the profession proactively identifies opportunities to lead with empathy, building trust and influence at all levels including externally and actively seeking to understand insight from service delivery. A core influencer proactively using expertise and intuition to robustly brief and advise ministerial decision making and shaping the views of the media and across professions.
- Collaborates proactively with board colleagues as a member or in chair capacity. Knows and predicts the political cycle bringing their professional expertise whilst recognising both the wider organisational and external context, to develop strategy.
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ExpertE
E
SCS1:
- Takes a strategic view balanced with focus on the detail when shaping and delivering on business outcomes, influencing stakeholders both inside and outside of their organisation and driving a brilliant customer service.
- Influences peers and is sought out across departments for their support and expertise as well as being an advocate for the profession. Ensures there is an honest feedback loop with senior stakeholders, speaking truth to power on what works well and what does not, and contributes to Ministerial decision making.
SCS2:
- Advocates for the profession, for change, transforming and modernising services - influences, challenges and gains trust with staff, stakeholder groups and partners at all levels, securing buy-in.
- Adopts a strategic lens, ensuring Permanent Secretaries/Ministers are briefed fully including on potential risks and vulnerabilities, when making decisions. Handles strong resistance with confidence and resilience, anticipating the needs of stakeholders and acting with empathy to create shared agreements.
SCS3:
- Fully embraces their leadership position as a role model for the profession expertly developing trust with ministers, permanent secretaries, and external organisations. Shows enthusiasm for their profession as an enterprise leader encouraging leaders to focus on organisational outcomes and working on behalf of the whole organisation developing a network of key partners in which they can influence.
- Has an expert understanding of when to challenge and is able to do so confidently and effectively whilst maintaining and developing relationships with a range of stakeholders including fellow board members .
Human centred design
Senior operational delivery leaders can demonstrate that operational delivery is fundamentally about people,
customers, and employees.
Please see the SCS Offer for more learning information.
Learning Curriculum for Human centred design
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AwarenessA
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WorkingW
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PractitionerP
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ExpertE
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AwarenessA
A
As you move into the SCS, there is an expectation that you already have an awareness of all ODP core skills and therefore the minimum expectation is that you would be at Working Level / Developing Level.
Recognising that you do not require ‘Awareness’ this is foregone and you progress through the 7 capabilities assessing your current expertise from the minimum expectation for SCS ‘Working’ through to ‘Expert’ level.
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WorkingW
W
SCS1:
- Ensures that both the voice of the customer and colleagues is at the heart of service improvement/designing better services for their portfolio, building feedback into business plans.
- Creates a culture where teams are encouraged to understand customer experience and identify potential improvements.
SCS2:
- Identifies opportunities to be creative with the end-to-end service offer, engaging with customers, colleagues and stakeholders to understand their perspectives on potential improvements, including use of technological solutions, and keeping the voice of the user and accessibility at the heart of design.
- Proactively engages with a broad range of stakeholders, confidently handling strong and sometimes conflicting views, to deliver service improvement.
SCS3:
- Influences policy development through applying experience, strategic operational insight and perspectives of colleagues and customers, balancing with political considerations. Actively seeks insight to ensure value is added for the customer.
- Motivates and empowers teams to engage with stakeholders with compassion and care, considering diverse needs to improve experience. Is a considerate leader who understands developments in the external world and how these can impact on their people and customers.
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PractitionerP
P
SCS1:
- Translates strategy into delivery with a focus on continuous improvement. Delivers tangible improvements in the customer journey within their portfolio through consideration of the diverse perspectives of customers and colleagues.
- Fosters a culture where teams are empowered to co-create solutions to improve the customer experience, focusing on quality as designed by service users.
SCS2:
- Leads out on external stakeholder engagement, e.g. commercial organisations and trade unions, influencing and managing relationships based on insight and intelligence to broker successful outcomes and use of technological solutions that support service delivery and meet customer needs. Reviews end to end delivery to understand value added.
- Builds cross government relationships and expertise to deliver cross cutting solutions within a diverse and significant landscape. Motivates and empowers teams to improve the customer experience, putting their experience and expertise back into the profession for the benefit of others.
SCS3:
- Innovates services whilst being mindful of public scrutiny around outcomes delivered. Holding the language and ability to handle challenging communications and demonstrate their inclusive values to their people and major service stakeholders.
- Empowers teams to deliver, leading equitably and with respect and mindfulness of both diversity and the internal employee experience across function and external customer base and others who service delivery may impact.
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ExpertE
E
SCS1:
- Manages relationships with key stakeholders within and beyond the organisation, and delivers through them to create a culture where a diverse range of customers are valued equally to deliver recognised improvements in customer experience and service excellence.
- Demonstrates a focus on user experience, empowering teams to consider accessibility and creative solutions to meet the needs of a range of customers and colleagues.
SCS2:
- Has end-to-end oversight of service delivery, leading their teams in scaling up services in a variety of settings to deliver the government agenda and deliver for the customer. Influences policy development through applying experience, strategic operational insight and perspectives of colleagues and customers, balancing with political considerations. Actively seeks insight to ensure value is added.
- Motivates and empowers teams to engage with stakeholders with compassion and care, considering diverse needs, accessibility and technological solutions to improve experience.
SCS3:
- Invests in teams to enable delivery. Has the flexibility and personal resilience to cope well under pressure and adapt to rapidly changing circumstances in an environment under regular scrutiny by the media , Parliament (including appearances in front of Parliamentary Select Committees), and the public, which should be easy due to advance preparation and insight.
- Is resourceful and authentic. Taking full responsibility for motivating leaders to build an inclusive culture within area of responsibility, fostering an environment where colleagues experience a sense of belonging and engagement year around.
System leadership
Senior operational delivery leaders can demonstrate the need to adopt a system thinking approach to respond to increasing inter-dependence and complexity.
Please see the SCS Offer for more learning information.
Learning Curriculum for System leadership
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AwarenessA
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WorkingW
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PractitionerP
-
ExpertE
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AwarenessA
A
As you move into the SCS, there is an expectation that you already have an awareness of all ODP core skills and therefore the minimum expectation is that you would be at Working Level / Developing Level.
Recognising that you do not require ‘Awareness’ this is foregone and you progress through the 7 capabilities assessing your current expertise from the minimum expectation for SCS ‘Working’ through to ‘Expert’ level.
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WorkingW
W
SCS1:
- Recognises where their portfolio sits within the wider organisational system. Inspires teams with clear vision and purpose, increasing understanding of how their work interconnects with the system and where the dependencies / interdependencies have an impact.
- Works with colleagues and teams across their organisational area, learning from and with one another, collaborating on process improvements and seeking to prevent issues from arising in the first place.
SCS2:
- Demonstrates ability to see beyond their organisation, working with colleagues across government and external suppliers to understand the complexities of the wider operational landscape.
- Works with colleagues and teams across the wider system, learning from and with one another, ensuring they have the capability to deliver, collaborating on solutions and seeking to prevent issues from arising in the first place.
SCS3:
- Advocates for and influences true cultural change, identifying where interdependencies exist across complex systems leading with clear vision, purpose and awareness of cultural barriers.
- Is an expert multitasker working collaboratively across functions and disciplines to drive system improvements and maximise excellence in service delivery outcomes. Understands the importance of continuous improvement ensuring resources are where they are needed to ensure the right operational outcomes.
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PractitionerP
P
SCS1:
- Works collaboratively with teams across the operational system and across professional boundaries to influence performance/delivery to the customer, joining together to build cross cutting solutions and deliver outcomes in partnership.
- Proactively able to spot when issues are likely to occur and factors this into planning within their portfolio, integrating all aspects of data, insight and capabilities.
SCS2:
- Works with colleagues and teams across the system on both existing and future requirements, actively encouraging a culture of change and horizon scanning, anticipating and planning together for transformation.
- Actively engages with the wider system to pre-empt issues and puts in place pro-active and agile business plans which factor in learning and data from wider sources. Ensures clear communication to colleagues and customers.
SCS3:
- Looks past boundaries to develop a compelling organisational vision, taking a holistic approach to understanding external developments regarding cultural change and transformation during operational complexity, continuously revising and developing processes to reach the best outcome.
- Role models balancing multiple demands and expectations simultaneously to protect, improve and transform design and delivery of service excellence decision making and strategy development with courage, considering organisational, cross-government, supplier, and global impacts on their function and wider.
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ExpertE
E
SCS1:
- Identifies interdependencies across complex systems (ministers, policy colleagues or external partners); leading with clear vision, purpose and awareness of cultural barriers. Anticipates and takes pre-emptive action to address ineffective processes.
- Collaborates extensively with a wide range of colleagues across government to protect, improve and transform delivery of service excellence to the customer with the ability to balance business as usual alongside change/changing context.
SCS2:
- Advocates for and influences true cultural change around systems leadership, identifying where interdependencies exist across complex systems (ministers, policy colleagues or external partners); leading with clear vision, purpose and awareness of cultural barriers.
- Balances multiple demands and expectations simultaneously to protect, improve and transform design and delivery of service excellence to the customer with the ability to balance business as usual alongside change/changing context.
SCS3:
- Is an enterprise leader, they inspire collaborative team working by working across boundaries and building a strong vision driving delivery through their leadership teams, trusting, and relying on their expertise.
- A role model who actively identifies and leads collaborative working around intersectional areas actively seeking to understand opportunities to develop work within the ODP profession and alongside other professions to achieve excellence delivering outcomes to ministers and external partners with purpose.
Innovation and risk
Senior operational delivery leaders can demonstrate the ability to innovate and transform services within political and operational risk frameworks.
Please see the SCS Offer for more learning information.
Learning Curriculum for Innovation and risk
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AwarenessA
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WorkingW
-
PractitionerP
-
ExpertE
-
AwarenessA
A
As you move into the SCS, there is an expectation that you already have an awareness of all ODP core skills and therefore the minimum expectation is that you would be at Working Level / Developing Level.
Recognising that you do not require ‘Awareness’ this is foregone and you progress through the 7 capabilities assessing your current expertise from the minimum expectation for SCS ‘Working’ through to ‘Expert’ level.
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WorkingW
W
SCS1:
- Invests time in the short term to ensure processes are fit for purpose and quality service delivery is consistently maintained. Implements innovative solutions to operational issues within their system.
- Understands the strategic climate and appetite for risk and ensures risk is balanced alongside improving delivery processes and ways of working to enhance customer experience.
SCS2:
- Actively explores and implements new innovative solutions to improve the efficiency, effectiveness, and impact of services on the customer. Delivering tangible, and measurable improvements which can be evaluated and shared across government.
- Creates a working environment and culture where teams can experiment/innovate whilst holding responsibility for balancing this within agreed risk management frameworks.
SCS3:
- Understands when it is appropriate to take measured risks to drive innovation and leads teams to be cognisant of this and have the confidence to deliver effectively.
- Allows teams autonomy to make decisions where appropriate but takes overall responsibility for ensuring expectations and challenges from Ministers/Perm Secs are met. Is aware of the role that cutting edge technologies can have in supporting efficiencies in Operational Delivery.
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PractitionerP
P
SCS1:
- Identifies and develops innovative solutions to protect and maintain effective service delivery to the customer, anticipating and mitigating risks before they occur.
- Evaluates risks of political landscape and the impact on their system, creating a continuous improvement loop with policy and operational delivery profession.
SCS2:
- Is agile in their approach to service delivery, bridging the gap between policy development and operations, and effectively balancing innovation and risk to support service excellence. Challenges policy and/or ministers when necessary.
- Fosters an environment which encourages the implementation of new innovations and technologies, ensuring processes and governance is in place to allow teams to deliver
SCS3:
- Understands opportunities and risks in interconnected organisations. Engages with external stakeholders on harnessing best practice and is proactive in mitigation of risk.
- Builds a robust framework for future delivery of operations, shaping the external environment finding new ways of supporting the needs of the government agenda with insight and technological developments driven from across government, the private sector both Nationally and Internationally. Tackles challenges/future challenges and ensures best practice and robust frameworks are built by convening multidisciplinary teams.
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ExpertE
E
SCS1:
- Communicates effectively across key stakeholders within and beyond the organisation, taking long term action to prevent future risk rather than relying on the ability to fix/manage immediate or current issues across their operational department.
- Develops innovative solutions to improve the long term efficiency, effectiveness, and impact of services on the customer, delivering tangible and measurable improvements – whilst balancing the risk to service delivery.
SCS2:
- Takes a long-term view of operational delivery needs and actively looks outside the civil service for innovative solutions, shaping the external environment find new ways of supporting the needs of the government agenda.
- Allows teams autonomy to make decisions where appropriate but takes overall responsibility for ensuring expectations and challenges from Ministers/Perm Secs are met.
SCS3:
- Future proofs transforms and redesigns service delivery attuned to public scrutiny, potential risks across the system, and empowering others to take measured risks.
- An ability to drive change through a complex organisation, enables transformation including realising a vision for digitally enabled transformation utilising breakthrough tech. Leads and influences across sectors being mindful of innovative solutions and technological developments which impact the profession.
Learning agility
Senior operational delivery leaders can demonstrate the importance of being able to learn from failure and use it as a positive force for change.
Please see the SCS Offer for more learning information.
Learning Curriculum for Learning agility
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AwarenessA
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WorkingW
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PractitionerP
-
ExpertE
-
AwarenessA
A
As you move into the SCS, there is an expectation that you already have an awareness of all ODP core skills and therefore the minimum expectation is that you would be at Working Level / Developing Level.
Recognising that you do not require ‘Awareness’ this is foregone and you progress through the 7 capabilities assessing your current expertise from the minimum expectation for SCS ‘Working’ through to ‘Expert’ level.
-
WorkingW
W
SCS1:
- Recognises the importance of continuous improvement, learning quickly and questioning thoroughly, and creating an environment where their teams share concerns, learning and emerging risks.
- Develops plans which draw on learning from mistakes and continuously improves services for the customer, delivering service excellence against performance objectives.
SCS2:
- Implements continuous improvement plans and adapts quickly when needed, learning from successes and mistakes then translating insight into action.
- Creates space for operational teams to have honest conversations, learn from mistakes and empowers those operational teams to build resilience and tackle/respond to new issues.
SCS3:
- Views continuous improvement through an organisation wide lens, aligns changes to wider change and transformation strategy. Understands trends in capability gaps across area of work and commissions relevant stakeholders to support development of capability across area of responsibility. Translates the rationale for learning plans and strategies across area to align with ministerially expected customer outcomes.
- Translates complex concepts and processes into deliverable outcomes for the customer, demonstrates organisational resilience and learns from experience building their own and teams understanding and implementation of resilient behaviours. Supports development of the profession and others through continuous knowledge transfer.
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PractitionerP
P
SCS1:
- Implements continuous improvement plans and adapts quickly when needed, learning from successes and mistakes then translating insight into action.
- Creates space for operational teams to have honest conversations, learn from mistakes and empowers those operational teams to build resilience and tackle/respond to new issues.
SCS2:
- Implements continuous improvement plans and adapts quickly when needed, learning from successes and mistakes then translating insight into action.
- Creates space for operational teams to have honest conversations, learn from mistakes and empowers those operational teams to build resilience and tackle/respond to new issues.
SCS3:
- Role models flexibility and buoyancy when faced with challenges and public scrutiny as well as creating a psychologically safe environment which is open to challenge. Sets the tone for the function, demonstrating resilience and using setbacks as learning opportunities. Encourages a learning culture across the teams and adopts a growth mindset which they role model for others.
- To align with external developments, demonstrates passionate about continuously learning the profession and curious in developing solution focused approaches through their people as well as service improvement. Has high professional standards which drives a positive culture within the organisation.
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ExpertE
E
SCS1:
- Implements continuous improvement plans and adapts quickly when needed, learning from successes and mistakes then translating insight into action.
- Creates space for operational teams to have honest conversations, learn from mistakes and empowers those operational teams to build resilience and tackle/respond to new issues.
SCS2:
- Views continuous improvement through an organisation wide lens, aligns changes to wider change and transformation strategy. Can determine the need for strategic capability interventions at the right time to satisfy the long-term objectives of the organisation and support a wider transformational model.
- Translates complex concepts and processes into deliverable outcomes for the customer, demonstrates organisational resilience and learns from experience. Supports development of the profession and others through continuous knowledge transfer.
SCS3:
- Actively works on own learning and development needs as a role model, abreast of key knowledge and skill developments can determine the need for strategic capability interventions for their teams at the right time to satisfy the long-term objectives of the organisation and support a wider transformational model and developing their team capability to understand and deliver through complexity.
- Uses intuition and relationships with external and international organisations to actively seek and bring learning back into the organisation to align with developments in the external environment. Including developing expertise connected to technological advancements and other professions and the benefits these can bring to own area of expertise and the profession.
Data and insight
Senior operational delivery leaders can demonstrate the ability to be able to pick out the signal from the noise of real time data and know what to pay attention to.
Please see the SCS Offer for more learning information.
Learning Curriculum for Data and insight
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AwarenessA
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WorkingW
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PractitionerP
-
ExpertE
-
AwarenessA
A
As you move into the SCS, there is an expectation that you already have an awareness of all ODP core skills and therefore the minimum expectation is that you would be at Working Level / Developing Level.
Recognising that you do not require ‘Awareness’ this is foregone and you progress through the 7 capabilities assessing your current expertise from the minimum expectation for SCS ‘Working’ through to ‘Expert’ level.
-
WorkingW
W
SCS1:
- Uses data to maintain regular view of health and efficiency of processes across their portfolio. Identifies areas of concern, fine tunes processes and mitigates risks quickly.
- Creates a culture where teams remain curious and open to change as new patterns/insights emerge from insight; and builds the capability of their teams to turn data into insights to shape operational delivery.
SCS2:
- Delivers consistent service delivery, through empowering teams to use data, insight and evidence to make sound judgements and manage risk across the end-to-end operation.
- Builds a culture of the appropriate use of data throughout the organisation. Advocates for data literacy across their organisation, the Civil Service and fosters a culture of making data available to all.
SCS3:
- Keeps data at the heart of everything they do, adopts a horizon scanning approach to data as an enabler for business outputs. Appropriately sharing insights across teams and with ministers, building team confidence in data driven decision making.
- Builds teams confidence in using insight in practice actively encouraging a performance coaching culture to data interpretation. Leads teams to challenge what is behind the data using analysis to drive effective, engaging leadership of service delivery.
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PractitionerP
P
SCS1:
- Uses varied and complex data sets and management information to make process improvement decisions quickly and deliver service performance efficiencies across their portfolio.
- Ensures data is available to teams and fosters a culture of using insight to inform decisions across operational teams, asking the right questions to ensure actions are focused on delivering outcomes and mitigate risks.
SCS2:
- Demonstrates astute business awareness, across the end-to-end operation, bridging the gap between policy development and operations.
- Empowers teams to use insight and evidence at pace to manage risk and reach sound judgements, with focus on both high-quality services and developing innovative solutions supporting departmental outcomes. Creates a culture within teams where they use data and insight to tell a story both within and outside of their organisation.
SCS3:
- As an expert in their operational area consistently drives data understanding and innovation across teams. Acting as a role model for streamlining data-based insight through decisions and leading synergy and understanding of advancement in the external market. Uses data to drive financial decision making, including the prioritisation of operational activity.
- Uses Insight to develop an understanding of future impacts on area of responsibility enabling constructive decision making around workforce, demands and effective service delivery.
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ExpertE
E
SCS1:
- Uses data to articulate multi-layered, complex issues to inform policy development and ensures this is effectively translated into operational performance, delivering a consistent and high-quality service and driving performance improvement/transforming the way customers access and experience service.
- Supports a culture where teams are encouraged to question the origin of insight, handle the absence of data sets and consider which insight is most relevant to inform decision making.
SCS2:
- Keeps data at the heart of everything they do, empowering teams to effectively analyse and use insights to influence policies and processes and deliver consistent and high-quality services across their organisation and the wider Civil Service. Intervenes at the right time, including where it is necessary to balance wider considerations such as the political environment.
- Fosters a culture of making data available and empowering colleagues across the organisation, ensuring teams at all levels have the capability to use relevant insight.
SCS3:
- As the most senior voice for their operational area has a strong interest and understanding of the role external markets play in decision making to support efficiencies, productivity, and development of the most effective services. Building a culture of evidence-based decision making, skills around data interpretation and use.
Decisions at pace
Senior operational deliver leaders can demonstrate that real time data has increased the speed of decision making and facilitates greater distributed decision making.
Please see the SCS Offer for more learning information.
Learning Curriculum for Decisions at pace
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AwarenessA
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WorkingW
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PractitionerP
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ExpertE
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AwarenessA
A
As you move into the SCS, there is an expectation that you already have an awareness of all ODP core skills and therefore the minimum expectation is that you would be at Working Level / Developing Level.
Recognising that you do not require ‘Awareness’ this is foregone and you progress through the 7 capabilities assessing your current expertise from the minimum expectation for SCS ‘Working’ through to ‘Expert’ level.
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WorkingW
W
SCS1:
- Is adept at positioning issues and asking difficult questions to enable informed judgements protecting service delivery to the customer, balancing different views.
- Has awareness of the impact that decisions have within the organisation and empowers their team to make decisions.
SCS2:
- Manages relationships with key stakeholders within the organisation and outside the scope of their immediate role to support and endorse decisions taken at speed, applying sound judgement to protect the integrity and effectiveness of service delivery and the customer experience.
- Feeds lessons learned into decision making and builds relevant structures and governance to support a culture of delegated decision making.
SCS3:
- Ensures efficiencies in ways of working across area of responsibility factoring in potential views from challenging stakeholders, operational delivery colleagues, ministerial input and employee relations when making decision.
- Balances the culture of delegated decision making with their overarching responsibility for reputational and operational impact of decision making on wider government, third sector organisations, customers and colleagues.
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PractitionerP
P
SCS1:
- Implements timely decisions derived from a range of sources to deliver improved outcomes for the customer, managing expectations as necessary.
- Recognises when information sources are limited and seeks additional perspectives to inform decision making, whilst empowering staff to the deepest level of the organisation.
SCS2:
- Comprehends and anticipates the impact of degradation of service and acts to stop things going wrong, effectively managing the relationship and expectations of Ministers/Perm Secs and other stakeholders when making decisions at pace. Creates systems that factor lessons learned from previous decision making into their design.
- Demonstrates ability to rapidly assess the decision needed, factoring in a large range of information sources while monitoring and pre-empting the impact of decision making across government and beyond.
SCS3:
- Holds final accountability for decisions made around area of responsibility whilst balancing effective delegation amongst senior leaders within business area and across other relevant areas of the department connected to their workstream. Takes responsibility for managing senior stakeholders following decision making.
- Mindful of longer-term impacts on customer, government, and country, making quality decisions to increase efficiency. Uses both judgement and knowledge of digital, commercial, policy etc. to inform complex handling of decision making and drive value for money.
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ExpertE
E
SCS1:
- Demonstrates ability to lead through ambiguity and is confident making spend to save decisions impacting service delivery. Balances advice from experts, opinions and data and recognises the impact of decisions both internally and externally.
- Fosters a culture of empowering staff to make decisions, evidencing high levels of trust for staff to make nuanced decisions and recognising when senior intervention is appropriate.
SCS2:
- Calculates the vast complexities contributing to decision making at this level and factors in potential views from challenging stakeholders, operational delivery colleagues, ministerial input and employee relations when making decision.
- Balances the culture of delegated decision making with their overarching responsibility for reputational and operational impact of decision making on wider government, third sector organisations, customers and colleagues.
SCS3:
- Holds final accountability for functional, high-quality decision-making. Managing multiple complex issues simultaneously with excellent judgement on when to focus and lean in on issues and when to delegate with the personal resilience to cope well under pressure in rapidly changing environments.
- Actively horizon scans and seeks views and inputs from a wide range of senior stakeholders and the external market at all levels. Maintains a strong mutually respectful relationship with senior stakeholders such as the Cabinet Office, ministers and press office and manages their reactions following difficult decision making.